ISLAMABAD: Lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, on Friday challenged their arrest orders before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a case related to controversial social media posts, arguing that the trial court had acted unlawfully and curtailed their right to defence.
In their petition, the couple contended that the trial court issued arrest warrants without fulfilling mandatory legal requirements and ordered their judicial custody along with virtual production in violation of due process. They challenged the January 15 order of the trial court, terming it legally unsustainable, and requested the IHC to declare the arrest warrants null and void. They also sought directions restraining the authorities from arresting them.
Earlier in the day, however, a district and sessions court once again ordered their arrest within 24 hours in the same case, expressing strong displeasure over the failure of law enforcement agencies to execute previous warrants.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, who was hearing the matter, warned that contempt proceedings could be initiated if the orders were not complied with. He questioned the Islamabad Police and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over the non-execution of earlier arrest warrants and repeatedly asked why the accused had not been produced before the court.
An NCCIA prosecutor appeared during the hearing, while the public prosecutor submitted replies under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code on behalf of the accused. After a brief recess, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Islamabad Police Jawad Tariq appeared before the court.
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Judge Majoka expressed anger over what he described as the failure of law enforcement agencies to act, remarking that the non-execution of warrants within the federal capital raised serious concerns. He directed the DIG to arrest the accused within 24 hours, stating that they must be apprehended regardless of their location. The judge warned that failure to comply would result in contempt of court proceedings.
The DIG assured the court that the warrants would be executed. The judge said the warrants would be handed over by 10am and reiterated his warning of strict action in case of non-compliance.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, who was hearing the matter, warned of contempt proceedings in case of non-compliance.https://t.co/WJmpdENdLt
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 17, 2026
Later, the NCCIA director also appeared before the court and informed it that a four-member team had been constituted to arrest the accused but they were not found at their given addresses and were allegedly hiding to evade arrest. The judge questioned how arrests could not be made if the accused were present in Islamabad and ordered that senior officers supervise the operation.
The court directed that no police officer below the rank of superintendent of police and no NCCIA official below the rank of deputy director be assigned the task. Fresh arrest warrants were issued, directing the authorities to arrest the accused and produce them before the court through a video link. The hearing was adjourned till Saturday.
In a written order issued later, the court observed that the accused appeared to have deliberately absconded to evade arrest and granted law enforcement agencies 24 hours to comply with its directions.
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